Masterful and macabre short fiction from the New York Times–bestselling author of Swan Song. Father John has lived his whole life without knowing a woman’s touch. Hard at first, his self-denial grew easier over time, as he learned to master his urges with a regimen of prayer, cold showers, and jigsaw puzzles. That changed the day that Debra Rocks entered his confessional. A rough-talking adult … confessional. A rough-talking adult film actress, she has come to ask him to pray for a murdered costar. Her cinnamon perfume infects Father John, and after she departs he becomes obsessed. Around the corner from his church is a neon-lit alley of sin. He goes there hoping to save her life before he damns himself. That is “Blue World,” the novella that anchors this collection of chilling stories by Robert R. McCammon. Although monsters, demons, and murderers fill these pages, in McCammon’s world the most terrifying landscape of all is the barren wasteland of a lost man’s soul.
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I enjoyed this collection of short stories and novellas from Robert R. McCammon. The stories range from pieces about serial killers to Vietnam vets to the Devil himself to aliens. Some of the stories are set in strange, blurry mirrors of this world, some set in familiar surroundings, but regardless of setting, they all have great characters. Not all of them have happy endings, but all end well.
I got some advice on writing an anthology last year, and it was to either put the best story first or save it for last. In this case, Mr. McCammon did both, in my opinion. He started with a great little piece called Yellowjacket Summer that had me picturing Rod Serling hiding behind every tree, and he ended with the title story, Blue World, which was incredible.
If you’ve never read McCammon and like short fiction, what are waiting for?
Edited 12.27.13 after the third read.
I started off making notes on each story that I thought was above average, as you can see below…
The first story in this collection knocked my socks off. It was eerily reminiscent of an episode of The Twilight Zone. The bees! 5*
Edited: It turns out that this actually WAS a Twilight Zone magazine story in 1986.
The second story, “Makeup” was a tribute to horror films of old, with all kinds of references to a previous Robert McCammon novel, They Thirst. 4*
“Nightcrawlers”-a heavy story about a Nam vet dosed with a chemical named Howdy Doody. 4*
Edited: This was adapted for the small screen by the new Twilight Zone show. You can watch the episode online at You Tube for free here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITl2BB…
Edited to add a few words about the story “Yellachile’s Cage”. This story is good enough to get its very own mention here. A prison story, slightly reminiscent of The Shawshank Redemption, with its message of hope.
Edited to add a few words about the story “Pin”. Apparently, Pin was made into a short film by a student named Christian Frahme. This story was so disturbing I could not bring myself to watch the film. In case you would like to after you read “Pin”, here is a link to the film: http://vimeo.com/19771743
“Night Calls the Green Falcon” had me in tears as did the last novella Blue World.
…then I realized that every story is above average in this collection. Well, all but one of these tales strongly resonated with me.
Robert McCammon will forever be one of my favorite authors. No matter the subject, the strength of his writing never fails to show through.
Meh. I just discovered Robert McCammon a few years ago and was quickly a fan thanks to Wolf’s Hour, Hunter From the Woods, and of course Boy’s Life. This one however was just not the same for me and left me feeling somewhat unsatisfied. Never mind the poor editing that left in misspelled words and other typos which was distracting for sure. Still, I just didn’t enjoy many of the short stories in Blue World and ended up struggling to get through them. The ones I did like had the right tone and just enough creepiness to make you think about them later. Unfortunately for me most were ho-hum, or just okay, or I’d finish the tale thinking, “What the hell was that?”
Once upon a time this author was the next King or Koontz. This anthology proves he is the real deal.
If you love the horror genre but hate slice and dice. This is a great book full of original and interesting stories.
I read this book when I was about 13 years old, and it was honestly one of the best novella compilations I’ve read to date. The last story in the book, ‘Blue World’, still sticks out in my head and I’m STILL wanting to be adapted into a film. The entire book would probably be better suited for Amazon Prime Video.
Just started reading this author’s books he is very good you will not be disappointed in his writing
Really enjoyed this book. Original ideas, very well written, as always.
A master of the haunting and the macabre, McCammon does a fantastic job with this collection of short stories and novellas.
McCammon captures the nature of the South, where superstition gives way to the supernatural, when humid summer twilights seem they will never end, where the curiosities of life turn magical for young kids going through experiences that will turn them into wiser, battle-worn adults. This and “Boy’s Life” are must reads for all fans of magical realism and stories about the South. Plus, McCammon knows the heart of all evil lies in Dothan, Ala.
Great collection of short stories by one of my favorite authors.
This is the first short story collection I read from McCammon and it was terrific.